A09977:526
Life eternalLife eternall
Life eternal or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithful and worthy minister of Jesus Christ, John Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplain in ordinary to his Majesty, master of Emmanuel College in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inn.Life eternall or, A treatise of the knowledge of the divine essence and attributes Delivered in XVIII. sermons. By the late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ, Iohn Preston, D. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to his Majestie, master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and sometimes preacher of Lincolns Inne.
London: printed by Richard, 1631
Sermon 12: THE TWELFTH SERMON.Sermon 12: THE TVVELFTH SERMON.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Object. But how shall a man get his mind to such a frame?
Object. But how shall a man get his minde to such a frame?
Answ. You shall have a means prescribed in 1 Tim 6.6. Godliness with content is great gain: that is, godliness is always joined with contentment, it is always the cause of contentment, and therefore ⟨p. 59⟩great gain. So then, be a godly man, that is, make thy heart perfect with GOD, serve and fear him alone, be content with him alone for your portion; he is All-sufficient, his communion will breed contentment and satisfaction enough to thy heart, so that thou shalt be able to live with a very slender outward condition. And this is the only means to have the mind drawn from these things that other men are so glued to; and that is, to labour to be content with GOD alone, to serve, and fear him, to grow up to him more and more: for he is All-sufficient, there is no such way in the world to contract the mind, as to have GOD to be knit to him, to serve and fear him, and to be assured of his favour and love in all conditions. Beloved, what a miserable thing is it, to have such changeable happiness, for a man to be so dependent upon many things which are so exceeding mutable? Therefore it should be our wisdom to bring our minds to be content with a narrowness or scantness, or simplicity of condition, to let the mind be drawn into as narrow a compass as may be; and so to come as near to this excellency of GOD, as our present humane condition will well permit us.
Answ. You shall have a meanes prescribed in 1 Tim 6.6. Godlinesse with content is great gaine: that is, godlinesse is alwayes joyned with contentment, it is alwayes the cause of contentment, and therefore ⟨p. 59⟩great gaine. So then, be a godly man, that is, make thy heart perfect with GOD, serve and feare him alone, be content with him alone for your portion; he is All-sufficient, his communion will breed contentment and satisfaction enough to thy heart, so that thou shalt be able to live with a very slender outward condition. And this is the onely meanes to have the minde drawne from these things that other men are so glued to; and that is, to labour to be content with GOD alone, to serve, and feare him, to grow up to him more and more: for hee is All-sufficient, there is no such way in the world to contract the minde, as to have GOD to be knit to him, to serve and feare him, and to be assured of his favour and love in all conditions. Beloved, what a miserable thing is it, to have such changeable happinesse, for a man to be so dependent upon many things which are so exceeding mutable? Therefore it should bee our wisedome to bring our mindes to be content with a narrownesse or scantnesse, or simplicity of condition, to let the minde be drawne into as narrow a compasse as may be; and so to come as neere to this excellency of GOD, as our present humane condition will well permit us.